In Houston, David Barron notes the Texans are "justifiably pleased" that their regular-season ratings this year were up 23% from '17. The Texans averaged a 22.3 Nielsen rating and 804,000 viewers during the '18 campaign, which improved upon an 18.1 rating and 663,000 viewers in 17. However, this year's numbers still "lag behind" '16, when local games "averaged 22.9 and 892,000 viewers." Four noon starts this year "failed to top a 20.0 rating, which is a pretty anemic performance for an NFL home market, and only the two prime-time games topped a 25 rating, which should be the standard for a local telecast" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/11).
STOOLIES REJOICE: Barstool Sports claims to already have "more than 10,000 paid subscribers to its new membership service, Barstool Gold," with 81% "signing up for the $100 annual subscription." Barstool Gold is a "tiered membership product from the digital publisher that offers everything from exclusive content and merchandise, to early access to events and office tours and meet-ups with Barstool personalities." The lower tier "costs roughly $1 per week," while the higher membership tier "costs roughly $2 per week" (DIGIDAY.com, 1/11).
